At one of the three breaks between acts, I took an exploratory excursion down the many staircases that spiraled toward the basement. The Met, between acts, is one big 15-minute speed-party out in the lobbies, and all of the people are beautiful. My inner voyeur found it nearly as entertaining as the opera. I tried to spot celebrities, but saw none. Budgeting time for the climb back to my aerie, I went in to use the basement men’s room.